IT Review

Certificate: 15

Running time: 135 minutes 

Directed by: Andrés Muschietti.

What's it about: In the town of Derry, people keep going missing without a trace. A team of misfit kids band together to find out why, and are faced with their greatest fears when they have to face off against Pennywise - an evil entity that has been killing for centuries.

The verdict: IT is based on the novel by author Stephen King, and has been previously adapted into a television miniseries. As a rule, I am not a big fan of horror and so I have no prior knowledge of either the book or the television miniseries. It is a testament to the brilliant trailers for this 2017 adaptation, that I decided I would work up the nerve to go and see IT (and I went by myself!).

What really stood out to me, was what a great cast they had put together. The main cast is made up of seven young actors, and they are all really strong in their different roles. Each kid has their own problems, fears, and distinct personality. Jaeden Lieberher particularly stood out as Bill, who has lost his brother Georgie to Pennywise, he is a perfect mix of sadness and determination. I also enjoyed seeing Finn Wolfhard playing wisecracking Richie, a very different character to Stranger Things Mike. And maybe most importantly, Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise was brilliant - he was terrifying, but also strangely comical and childish. Although I haven't seen Tim Curry in the role (he played Pennywise in the miniseries), it feels like Bill Skarsgård has made the role his own.

I thought the story was really well paced. A lot of people may feel like they have seen what happens in the opening scene already, when little Georgie is playing with his boat, but the actual scene is infinitely more scary and heartstopping. And it opens the film really strongly. The film continues to build up the tension well, each encounter with Pennywise is frightening in its own way and I will admit to being too scared to look several times! The scenes which don't involve horror helped build the narrative of the characters and the story, and so they are just as enjoyable.

In technical terms, the sound design was used to chilling effect and the cinematography was very strong. Overall, IT was a really good film. It is like Stand By Me meets horror, and despite finding it hard to watch at times, I did enjoy it. My only negative was that I felt that the climax was a bit rushed, and maybe a bit cheesy, but it didn't really affect my overall enjoyment of the film. For horror aficionados, I would be interested to know how scary they find it. It felt to me like it perhaps wasn't having quite the same effect on other audience members, and maybe it is too tame for regular horror fans? As I say, I'm not a regular horror watcher, so I cannot say for sure.

Should you watch this film? Yes. The brilliant trailers did this film justice. It's definitely worth watching on the big screen.